Just over 20 years ago, the IOM's "To Err is
Human" report spurred the professionalism to recognize that our health
system kills approximately 98,000 people annually from medical errors. I belong
to the generation of professionals who have learned to use systems thinking;
measure, monitor and improve; and ultimately improve service quality.
Today we have other problems. Healthcare survives a global
pandemic, a repayment of systemic racism, not to mention the big one. We are
also facing a climate crisis. Are these things knitted? Can we all do something?
Undoubtedly yes, and I am writing to call for climate change to be included on
this list of strategic and moral imperatives for health leaders around the
world.
The contribution of health care to climate change emissions
is already killing people. In 2018, arnica gas emissions from healthcare alone
resulted in a loss of 388,000 years of life.
The health effects of climate change are inextricably linked
to the problems of systemic racism. For example, communities in the red stripe
(racist housing policies that have resulted in systematic underfunding)
experience higher temperatures than those that did not, and higher temperatures
claim human lives.
Climate change is favoring the spread of some infectious
diseases, including pandemics, as well as diseases such as Lyme disease and
water-borne diseases, which have significant health implications.
As the world changes, it is time for healthcare leaders to
develop new strategic priorities to meet the health system's readiness and
resilience.
So what can you do in
this context to make a difference?
First, try to find intersections between health and climate.
The information is there so take the time to master it. Health Care Without
Harm is the leading US nonprofit dedicated to this topic. I learned a lot from
publications like The Lancet's Countdown Timer on Climate Change and Health,
Environmental Medicine and Everything we can save. "
Reading is important very much, but don't let it be the only
thing. Here are a few steps.
See how climate intersects with your organization's
strategic plan, and include actions that link your organization's success to
its work on climate change. Your organization can demonstrate its efforts to
combat change.
Din a number of measures - to reduce emissions. It might
look like you're trying to move to renewable energy, redefine your company's
investment portfolio, and especially in healthcare, reduce emissions in the
supply chain.
Another set of measures concerns adaptation. In short, with
climate change already happening, the point is to develop a set of strategies
that will help your community - however you define that community (local,
regional, national) - to cope more effectively with the effects of climate
change that exist today react and will be worse in the future. ...
It is almost impossible to keep an initiative progressing
without being able to measure progress. It is therefore important to include
climate-related measures in your organization's strategic plan. In terms of
mitigation, being a zero net-for-profit institution might look like a goal
(Kaiser in the US and the National Health Service lead the way). In terms of
adaptation, your organization may choose some indicators from the latest Lancet
report on Climate Change and Health that are relevant to your community and
track efforts and progress.
